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We talk with Arundhati Roy about her bestselling new novel, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, set in today’s India. Then, Imogen Hermes Gowar tells us about her acclaimed debut novel set in 18th century London, The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock. Continue reading
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We talk with Dr. Irwin Redlener about his book The Future of Us: What the Dreams of Children Mean for Twenty-First-Century America. Then we talk with Barbara Oakley about her book, Learning How To Learn, A Guide for Kids and Teens. Continue reading
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We talk with Cory Taylor about his book, How Hitler Was Made: Germany and the Rise of the Perfect Nazi. Then, Koch Brothers sponsored efforts are getting harsh new anti-protest laws passed in states across the country. We talk with Nicholas Kusnetz of Inside Climate News about this new threat to free speech. Continue reading
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Carl Hoffman talks about his book The Last Wild Men of Borneo: A True Story of Death and Treasure. Then we talk with Jane Goodall’s biographer Dale Peterson about his new book, The Ghosts of Gombe: A True Story of Love and Death in an African Wilderness. Continue reading
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We talk with Dr. Aaron Carroll about his book The Bad Food Bible: How and Why to Eat Sinfully. Then, Kristin Lawless tells us about why processed food is so bad for us. Her book is Formerly Known As Food: How the Industrial Food System Is Changing Our Minds, Bodies, and Culture. Continue reading
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We talk with Steven Stoll about his brilliant history of Appalachia: Ramp Hollow: The Ordeal of Appalachia. Then, coastal property values are threatened by sea level rise. We talk with Rachel Cleetus of the Union of Concerned Scientists about the report she co-authored, Underwater, Rising Seas, Chronic Floods, and the Implications for US Coastal Real Estate. Continue reading
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Cathryn Hankla talks about her memoir LOST PLACES: On Losing And Finding Home. Then Francesca reads a passage about “finding home” from her memoir about Provence.
                                 FINDING HOME
There is no Provence. Whoever loves it, loves the world, or loves nothing. –Jean Giono, Rondeur des Jours.
I woke at dawn. I had slept fitfully, thinking of my impending departure. I pulled on my shoes, took up my walking staff one last time, and headed out the door as the cat Poutin scurried past my feet into the house, looking for breakfast after a long night out.
The sky was a limpid blue with ropy trails of pink and gray-tinged clouds. The ground was dry, even at that hour, and the stony earth commented on my passing, while the wind sighed regretfully in the trees that bordered the village.
As I descended the plateau, I heard a duet of cuckoos calling to each other across the valley in contrapuntal harmony, bidding me mark the time. The church bells of the neighboring commune struck the half hour — 6:30. Sheep bells chimed from across the valley, as if in answer. Continue reading
Francesca Rheannon:Â There may be no better time than now to reread Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. Originally published in 1962, it sparked the modern environmental movement that led to the clean water and the Clean Air Acts, now endangered like The Endangered Species Act under the Trump Administration and the GOP dominated Congress.
Luckily, there’s a new edition of Silent Spring out from Library from America, the first in a series of publications of Carson’s work. The deluxe Illustrated volume is bundled with an unprecedented collection of letters, speeches and other writings that reveal the extraordinary courage and vision of its author. Continue reading
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We talk today with ecologist and writer Sandra Steingraber about the new edition of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring out from Library of America, Rachel Carson: Silent Spring & Other Writings on the Environment. Steingraber edited the volume and wrote the introduction.
We also play a clip from our February 2018 interview with Carey Gillam about her book: Whitewash: The Story of a Weedkiller, Cancer and the Corruption of Science.
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We talk with T.J. English about his latest book, The Corporation. It’s an epic story of the Cuban American Underworld and what that story tells us about the American political economy. We also air a clip from our 2008 interview with T.J. English about his book about the Mafia and the Cuban Revolution, Havana Nocturne.
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We spend with hour with Martin Puchner talking about his fascinating look at the story of world literature. It’s called The Written World: The Power of Stories to Shape People, History, Civilization. Published by Penguin Random House, the paperback version is coming out July 24. Continue reading
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On this July 4th, we’re re-playing two interviews about the foundational texts of our Republic. Danielle Allen talks about the foundational ideas of our American Republic in her book Our Declaration, A Reading Of The Declaration of Independence In Defense of Equality (W.W.Norton, 2014).
Then we air our 2008 interview with Anthony Lewis about Freedom For The Thought That We Hate: A Biography of the First Amendment.
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We talk with Elizabeth Rush about her beautifully written book, Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore.
Then, a judge just ruled that two major California cities can’t sue fossil fuel companies to recover the costs of dealing with sea level rise. We’ll air some clips about the case from our December interview with Lynn Zinsser of Climate Liability News.
Show transcript available on request for $2.99 USD (email francesca@writersvoice.net)
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We talk with neuroscientist Barbara K. Lipska about her memoir, The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind. Then, we air a clip from our 2008 interview with neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor about her book, My Stroke of Insight.
We also check in with Nation magazine correspondent Audrea Lim about how farmers in Puerto Rico are building resilience and fighting climate change. And we tell listeners about some great books for summer reading. Continue reading